Norwich

Norwich (pronounced variously "Norritch" or "Norridge") is a city in East Anglia, in Eastern England, and the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk.

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In effect the City expands a long way beyond its actual borough boundary, with large suburban areas on most sides. The Parliamentary seats cross over into adjacent local government districts.

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Roman

The Romans had their regional capital at Venta Icenorum on the river to the south which is now at modern day Caistor St Edmund. No sign of Roman influence can be seen in Norwich.

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Early English/Norman Conquest

Norwich was a construct of the Anglo-Saxons, the Danes and the Normans. The word Norvic appears on coins minted during the reign of King Athelstan (early 10th century AD). The ancient city was already a thriving centre for trade and commerce in East Anglia when Swein Forkbeard the Viking destroyed it in 1004 AD.

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At the time of the Norman Conquest the city was one of the largest in England, and it continued to be a major centre for trade, especially wool. The River Wensum was a convenient exporting route to the sea.

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The main area of the city south of the Wensum was destroyed by the construction of the Norman castle during the 1070s creation of a "New" or "French" borough.

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In 1096 Bishop Losinga, then Bishop of Thetford, began construction of the cathedral, then moved his See there to what became the cathedral church for the Diocese of Norwich.

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Middle Ages

By the middle of the 14th century the City Walls, about 2 1/2 miles long had been completed, these along with the river enclosed a large area, larger than that of the City of London.

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The wealth generated by the wool trade throughout the Middle Ages resulted in the construction of many fine churches. Norwich still has one of the highest number of medieval churches in Western Europe. Around this time, the city was made a county corporate.

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The great immigration of 1567 brought a substantial Walloon community of weavers to Norwich. Norwich has been the home of various dissident minorities, notably the French Huguenot and the Belgian Walloon communities in the 16th and 17th centuries. Primarily through trading connections with mainland Europe, ideas of religious reform and radical politics were introduced to Norwich.

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English Civil Wars

The eastern counties were profoundly Parliamentarian in nature and Norwich followed suit, at the cost of some discomfit to the Lord Mayor, a Royalist, and the Bishop (Joseph Hall) a moderate but targeted because of his position.

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The Norwich Canary was first introduced into England by Flemish refugees fleeing from Spanish persecution in the 1500s. They brought with them not only advanced working skills in textiles but also their pet canaries, which they began to breed. The canary is the emblem of the city's football team, Norwich City F.C., nicknamed "The Canaries".

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Norwich remained a major provincial capital and rated closely after London alongside Bristol.

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Norwich's geographical isolation was such that until 1834 when a railway connection was established, it was often quicker to travel to Amsterdam by boat than to London. The railway was brought to Norwich by Morton Peto who also built the line onto Great Yarmouth

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City: :For alternate meanings see city (disambiguation)...

East Anglia: East Anglia is a region of eastern England, named after one of the ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, which was named after the homeland of the Angles, Angeln in northern Germany. The kingdom consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk but the region's boundaries are vague. It includes the counties of Norfolk and S...

England: :For an explanation of often confusing terms like England, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom see British Isles (terminology)....

Norwich related Images and Photos (experimental)

Norwich Cathedral	Norwich Terrier Socks	Norwich Terrier Leash Hook	Norwich Terrier Caution Sign
Norwich Terriers 2012 Wall Calendar	Norwich Terriers Enjoy a Canoe Ride on Lake Kezar	I Love My Norwich Terrier Bumper Sticker	Trowse Meadows Near Norwich 1828
View of Norwich from Mouseshold Hill Near the Ruins of Kett's Castle	Trees on a Riverbank Eaton Norwich 1847	A Fine and Rare Needlework Sampler Norwich Connecticut 1774	Landscape with Whitlingham Church and a Distant View of Norwich Cathedral